The New England Patriots declined to use the franchise tag on any of their top free agents.

While it always seemed unlikely that the Patriots would use the tag prior to Monday’s deadline due to the cost, there was an outside chance that cornerback Aqib Talib could be tagged at a rate of $11.8 million.

New England now has until March 8 to negotiate exclusively with its 12 free agents, including Talib, wide receiver Julian Edelman, and running back LeGarrette Blount. If it deals are not reached, each of the players will reach the open market on March 11.

By all indications, Talib remains the Patriots’ top priority. The team reportedly met with him about his contract during the scouting combine. It is not known where negotiations currently stand, but a potential jumping-off point was created Monday morning when the Miami Dolphins signed cornerback Brent Grimes to a four-year, $32 million deal.

Talib returned to the Patriots last season on a one-year, $5 million deal and emerged as the team’s top cornerback early in the season. He then suffered a hip injury in a Week 6 game against the New Orleans Saints and battled it for the rest of the season.

He also battled a hip injury in 2012 and was knocked out of the AFC title game against the Baltimore Ravens. Talib was also knocked out of last season’s AFC title game against the Denver Broncos with a knee injury following a collision with Wes Welker.

Talib’s lengthy injury history is something that the Patriots will keep mind while negotiating a new contract, and will likely look to add incentives tied to playing time as protection.